This week's automotive news

Cadillac's top-of-the-line XTS with pricing beginning at $44,075 tops the list for Mom's favorite car. Mom will appreciate that she can easily talk over the surprisingly quiet 304-horsepower 3.6-liter V6. Not bad for a car of this size, the EPA-estimates highway fuel economy at 28 mpg.

When tasked with arriving at the top-ten cars to make Mom proud, the question was begged: Whose mom?

Was it I’m-proud-of-you-no-matter-what-you-do mom; a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-earned mom; sleep-until-noon mom; don’t-call-me-a-soccer-mom mom; I-want-to-be-your-pal mom; Moms-can-drive-fast-too mom; or any number of other mom types out there?

There are moms who probably couldn’t care less what type of car their child drives, while other moms probably have very definite ideas what’s the best car for their kids.

So here’s a top-ten list of cars that we think will appeal to a wide range of moms. Maybe your mom is represented among them; then again, maybe not.

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10. Audi 4.2 Quattro Spyder: Okay, this is a bit of a reach, but only the most frugal of moms could find fault with Junior zooming around the neighborhood in this $127,700 droptop. However, in hopes of appealing to penny-pinching moms, we’ve chosen the least pricy version with its 430-horsepower 4.2-liter V8. We could’ve opted for the $162,700 edition with its 525-horsepower V10, or even the top-of-the-line $210,300 version with its 560-horsepower V10. Our moms would be proud of our restraint.

9. Scion iQ: Virtually at the other end of the cost and performance spectrums from the R8 Spyder, the $15,385 iQ will wow moms who are strongly convinced less is more. Despite its talent for nearly disappearing in a parking lot filled with trucks, minivans, SUVs and even midsize sedans, this little spec of a car delivers an EPA-estimated 36 mpg in the city from its 94-horsepower 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine. Frugal moms can’t help but love this little hatchback.

8. Volkswagen Beetle: If mom has a little leftover hippie in her, she’ll appreciate her offspring tooling around in the $19,795 VW Beetle. Other than its general shape, however, there isn’t much about the current Beetle that she’ll recognize. For example, its 170-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is under the hood rather than in the trunk. There’s even a 200-horsepower turbocharged version. They didn’t have that when Mom used a “Bug” to haul her lava lamps to her dorm room. Mom will also be amazed it has a working heater.

7. Mercedes-Benz E-350 Wagon: If Mom has a practical bone in her body, she’ll brag about her kid who was smart enough to buy a station wagon. In the case of the $57,700 E-350 Wagon, she’ll probably also be pleased that said kid could afford the sticker price. She’ll think it’s neat when you take her to dinner at the country club and then stop on the way home for some peat moss at the home improvement store. Its 302-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 delivers an EPA-estimated 27 mpg on the highway, which isn’t too shabby for this size vehicle.

6. Lexus GS 450h: If Mom is green and wants you to follow in her tiny little carbon footprints, she should be cartwheel-turning happy that you ponied up $58,950 for the GS 450h. This is the hybrid version of the popular GS sedan. It’s 3.5-liter V6 and two electric motors collude to send 338 horsepower to the rear wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT). It gets a very respectable 29 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. It still sprints to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in less than six seconds.

5. Volvo S60 T6 R-Design: If Mom is a closet girl racer, she’ll like that she can extoll the safety features of your Volvo S60 to her neighbors, while loving the idea you’ve opted for the $43,900 high-performance version of this luxury sedan. She’ll also like the idea that, thanks to its standard all-wheel drive, you can swing by on snowy Wednesday nights and haul her to bunko. The R-Design means this S60 comes with a 325-horsepower version of the 3-liter turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine.

4. Nissan Altima 2.5 SV: If Mom descends from sensible stock, she’ll be hard pressed to find a nit to pick with your choice of the $24,100 totally redesigned Altima 2.5 SV. The EPA-estimated highway fuel economy is 38 mpg — pretty good for a midsize car. Generating 182 horsepower, the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The SV trim includes a bunch of goodies like dual-zone automatic climate control so Mom can set her own temperature when riding shotgun.

3. Subaru BRZ Premium: Mom will sing your praises for choosing the all-new $25,495 BRZ Premium; that is, until you try to stuff her into the backseat. But stingy rear-seat space notwithstanding, it’s hard not to love this sporty coupe. Loaded with standard features and armed with a 200-horsepower 2-liter flat-four-cylinder engine, the BRZ is a deal. When equipped with the optional six-speed automatic transmission, it’s good for an EPA-estimated 34 mpg on the highway.

2. Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: Mom might be impressed on several different levels when you stop by in the $25,850 Sonata Hybrid. She’ll have to glaze over the fact that hybrid technology costs a lot, but then she can turn her attention to the EPA-estimated 35 mpg city and 40 mpg highway that this hybrid system delivers. A 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine conspires with an electric motor to crank out 206 horsepower. Mom should also appreciate Hyundai’s long-term warranty.

1. Cadillac XTS: Mom may pretend she isn’t awed by land-yacht sedans, but deep down she’ll love the comfort and space the all-new XTS provides. It’s Cadillac’s top-of-the-line model with pricing beginning at $44,075. Mom will appreciate that she can easily talk over the surprisingly quiet 304-horsepower 3.6-liter V6. Not bad for a car of this size, the EPA-estimates highway fuel economy at 28 mpg.